The National STIs and AIDS Control Programme has stated that the initial plan to launch the HIV/AIDS self-test kit this month is unlikely to happen due to a delay in community engagement.
It says it is still conducting a pilot test of test kit samples and sensitization in some communities across the country, with the hope of gathering all reports before the launch.
When released, the self-test kit will be available for purchase in all pharmacies across the country, allowing people to learn their HIV status.
Dr. Stephen Ayisi Addo, Programme Manager for National STIs and AIDS Control Programme, told Citi News that the government does not intend to rush the process.
“We need to make sure that the grounds are well-watered, and Monitoring and Evaluation issues addressed. So we are expecting reports from the community sensitization. Once we get preliminary reports that it is good for us to go, we will go. We do not want to rush so that when we launch people will ask too many questions that we will not be able to answer.”
It was expected that from March 2023, HIV self-test kits will be made available at pharmacies and health facilities across the country for purchase to enable people to self-test to know their HIV status.
The introduction of the self-test kit meant that HIV testing could now be done on the doorstep of people and at any space, they considered to be private and confidential.
Upon the rollout, the self-test kit would be free for now at health facilities but at the pharmacies, they would attract service charges.
The face of HIV has now changed because of the progress that has been made in research and its management.
“Because Ghana has had over 260,000 PLHIV on treatment, it was uncommon to come across people who were seriously ill with the disease.”
